Saturday, July 2, 2011

Oven-roasted cherry tomatoes

I believe in the power of heat - particularly when it comes to tomatoes. Heat transforms even the most humdrum supermarket tomato into a sweet, tangy motherlode of flavor.

I'm not talking about drying tomatoes in a low oven for hours and hours, although dried tomatoes can be useful. I'm talking about high heat for not so long. These roasted tomatoes are concentrated, intense, juicy, the essence of tomato-ness.

It couldn't be simpler: Take a few pints of ordinary cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes, toss them with a little olive oil and salt, and stick them in a hot oven for an hour. The skins shrivel. They get redder, softer, juicier.

And then the fun starts. Pile them on toasted bread. Stick a few into a grilled cheese sandwich. Toss them with spaghetti, fresh mozzarella and basil for pasta "caprese." Add them to a pot of chili or soup. Or eat them with your fingers right off the tray. That works too.

An hour in a hot oven turns supermarket tomatoes from ho-hum to heavenly.

Ingredients

2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes

2 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Wash the tomatoes and scatter them on the baking sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle on the salt. Mix the tomatoes around on the tray with your hands so they're all coated with the oil.Roast the tomatoes in the oven for 1 hour. Let cool on the baking sheet. The tomatoes will keep in a jar or container in the refrigerator for a week.